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Class 

Mary  Baker  G.  Eddy 


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Copyright.  t907,  by  B.FrankPu/fv.Neu/York 


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UNIVERSITY   ] 

OF  J 


BOSTON 

THE    BALL    PUBLISHING    COMPANY 
1908 


37 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall 

Copyright^  igo8t  by 
The  Ball  Publishing  Co. 


COLONIAL    PRESS 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Siniottds  &*  Co. 

Boston,   U.S.A. 


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MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 


Where  there  is  a  big  effect  there  is  a  big 
cause.  When  you  see  flame,  lava,  and  dust 
coming  up  from  the  mouth  of  Vesuvius,  you 
know  there  is  power  below  the  crater. 

When  you  see  millions  savagely  fighting 
in  the  name  of  one  leader,  or  patiently  sub- 
missive and  gentle  in  the  name  of  another, 
you  know  that  there  was  power  in  those 
men. 

When  you  see  tens  of  thousands  of  mod- 
11 


175091 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDY 

ern,  enlightened  human  beings  absolutely 
devoted  to  the  teachings  of  Mrs.  Eddy, 
their  leader,  and  beyond  all  question  made 
happy  and  contented  by  her  teachings,  you 
know  there  is  a  cause  underlying  that  won- 
derful effect. 

Millions  of  people  in  this  country  will  be 
interested  in  the  personality  of  the  very 
remarkable  woman  who  founded  Christian 
Science,  and  gathered  together  the  great 
Christian  Science  following. 

This  is  written  to  describe  an  interview 
with  Mrs.  Eddy  which  took  place  in  her 
house  at  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  at 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  Satur- 
day, June  8th. 

Carlyle  would  not  forgive  the  old  monk 

who  talked  to  the  medieval  English  king  on 

his  travels  and  then  failed  to  describe  the 

king  accurately  and  in  detail.     The  first 
12 


J^^^Z^"^^  -r- 


^ 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 

duty  of  a  writer  who  sees  a  personality 
interesting  to  the  world  is  to  tell  what  he 
has  seen,  rather  than  what  he  thinks.  For 
what  one  man  has  seen  another  would  see, 
whereas  one  does  not  think  what  another 
thinks. 

Mrs.  Eddy's  house  at  Concord  is  ex- 
tremely simple  and  unpretentious,  a  plain, 
little  frame  dwelling,  situated  rather  close 
to  a  country  roadway  on  the  side  of  a  most 
beautiful  New  Hampshire  valley.  The 
view  from  her  windows  is  across  this  valley 
to  the  blue  hills.  Behind  those  hills,  a  very 
few  miles  distant,  is  the  spot  where  Mrs. 
Eddy  was  born. 

Mrs.  Eddy's  thought  has  spread  all 
around  this  world.  It  has  found  expression 
in  heavy  stone  churches  and  great  audiences 
from  Maine  to  California,  and  across  the 
oceans.     This  distant  work  her  mind  has 

14 


PLEASANT-VIEW 
CONCORD  NH 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 

done;  her  frail  body  dwells  in  peace  and 
quiet  in  the  simplest,  most  modest  of  homes, 
almost  on  the  spot  where  her  physical  life 
began. 

Around  the  frame  dwelling  runs  a  broad 
veranda.  And  above  are  balconies  on 
which  Mrs.  Eddy  sits  or  stands,  looking 
down  to  the  miniature  lake  dug  with  the 
contributions  of  men  and  women  deeply 
grateful  to  her,  or  across  the  wide  fields 
toward  the  city  and  the  busy  world  to  which 
she  voluntarily  said  good-by  long  ago. 

The  house  is  furnished  very  plainly.    In 

the  room  on  the  right  of  the  entrance  the 

chief    ornament    is    a    large    illuminated 

hymnal  presented  by  the  Earl  of  Dunmore, 

one  of  Mrs.  Eddy's  British .  followers.     In 

that  room  and  in  the  room  on  the  left  of  the 

entrance  the  furniture  is  extremely  simple. 

There  are  a  few  pictures,  and  on  one  of  the 
17 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY, 

walls  is  a  bas-relief  of  Mrs.  Eddy  in  white 
marble. 

These  rooms  down-stairs  are  kept  scru- 
pulously neat.  They  are  evidently  used 
rarely.  Mrs.  Eddy  occupies  almost  ex- 
clusively her  living-rooms  one  flight  above. 

The  home  of  the  Christian  Science  leader 
has  been  called  by  writers  of  strong  imagi- 
nation "  A  House  of  Mystery." 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  house  is  about  as 
mysterious  as  the  average  little  New  Eng- 
land home.  It  could  be  reproduced, 
furniture  and  all,  for  a  good  deal  less  than 
ten  thousand  dollars.  All  the  doors,  down- 
stairs and  up-stairs,  are  open.  It  is  the  very 
peaceful,  quiet  abode  of  an  old  lady  ten- 
derly cared  for  by  devoted  women,  earnest 
followers  of  Mrs.  Eddy*s  teachings.  These 
Christian  Science  ladies,  who  greeted  the 
writer  at  the  top  of  a  narrow  flight  of  stairs, 
18 


MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 

were  not  in  any  way  different  from  ordinary 
women,  except  that  all  three  had  very 
peaceful,  happy  expressions.  Among  three 
ordinary  women,  you  usually  find  one  or 
two  whose  expressions  make  you  feel  sorry 
for  them. 

These  devoted  friends  of  Mrs.  Eddy 
were  dressed  very  plainly,  in  light,  cotton 
gowns.  And  they  seemed  as  deeply  inter- 
ested and  excited  about  a  visitor  from  the 
outside  world  as  though  they  had  been 
three  eighteen-year-old  schoolgirls  watch- 
ing the  arrival  of  some  other  girl's  brother. 

One  of  them  came  forward  to  say. 
"  Mrs.  Eddy  is  very  glad  that  you  have 
come  and  will  see  you.  Please  come  into 
her  sitting-room." 

She  led  the  way  into  a  corner  room  at  the 
rear  of  the  house,  with  wide  windows  over- 
looking the  valley  and  the  distant  hills. 
19 


MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 

Beside  a  writing-desk,  in  an  armchair, 
sat  a  white-haired  woman  who  rose  and 
walked  forward,  extending  her  hand  in 
friendly  greeting  to  a  stranger.  That  was 
Mrs.  Eddy,  for  whom  many  human  beings 
in  this  world  feel  deepest  reverence  and 
affection,  and  concerning  whom  others 
have  thought  it  necessary  or  excusable  to 
write  and  to  say  unkind  and  untruthful 
things. 

It  is  quite  certain  that  nobody  could  see 
this  beautiful  and  venerable  woman  and 
ever  again  speak  of  her  except  in  terms  of 
affectionate  reverence  and  sympathy. 
There  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Chris- 
tian Scientists  who  would  make  almost  any 
sacrifice  for  the  privilege  of  looking  upon 
Mrs.  Eddy's  face.  It  is  impossible  now  for 
her  to  see  many,  and  it  is  therefore  a  duty 
to  make  at  least  an  attempt  to  convey  an 
20 


MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 

idea  of  the  impression  created  by  her  per- 
sonality. 

Mrs.  Eddy  is  eighty-six  years  old.  Her 
thick  hair,  snow-white,  curls  about  her 
forehead  and  temples.  She  is  of  medium 
height  and  very  slender.  She  probably 
weighs  less  than  one  hundred  pounds.  But 
her  figure  is  straight  as  she  rises  and  walks 
forward.  The  grasp  of  her  thin  hand  is 
firm ;    the  hand  does  not  tremble. 

It  is  hopeless  to  try  to  describe  a  face 
made  very  beautiful  by  age,  deep  thought, 
and  many  years'  exercise  of  great  power. 
The  light  blue  eyes  are  strong  and  concen- 
trated in  expression.  And  the  sight,  as 
was  soon  proved,  is  that  of  a  woman  one- 
half  Mrs.  Eddy's  age. 

Mrs.  Eddy's  face  is  almost  entirely  free 
from  wrinkles — the  skin  is  very  clear,  many 
a  young  woman  would  be  proud  to  have  it. 

21 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 

The  forehead  is  high  and  full,  and  the 
whole  expression  of  the  face  combines 
benevolence  with  great  strength  of  will. 
Mrs.  Eddy  has  accumulated  power  in  this 
world.  She  possesses  it,  she  exercises  it, 
and  she  knows  it.  But  it  is  a  gentle  power, 
and  it  is  possessed  by  a  gentle,  diffident, 
and  modest  woman. 

Women  will  want  to  know  what  Mrs. 
Eddy  wore.  The  writer  regrets  that  he 
cannot  tell.  With  some  women  you  see  the 
dress;  with  Mrs.  Eddy  you  see  only  the 
face,  the  very  earnest  eyes,  and  the  beauti- 
ful, quiet  expression  that  only  age  and 
thought  can  give  to  a  human  face.  She 
wore  a  white  lace  collar  around  her  neck, 
no  jewelry  of  any  kind,  and  a  very  simple 
dress.    That  much  is  remembered. 

In  reporting  this  interview  with  Mrs. 
Eddy,  it  must  be  understood  that  no  attempt 

22 


MARY   BAKER  G.    EDDY 

IS  made  to  give  her  words  exactly.  Every 
statement  attributed  to  her  is  her  ov^^n,  but 
the  exact  phraseology  must  not  be  con- 
sidered hers.  Christian  Science  and  Chris- 
tian Scientists  have  a  language  of  their  ov^n, 
and  any  but  a  stenographic  report  of  it 
might  be  misleading. 

Mrs.  Eddy  talked  first  of  her  regret  that 
the  farmers  about  her,  and  so  many  others 
all  over  the  country,  should  be  disturbed 
and  injured  in  their  prospects  and  pros- 
perity by  the  unseasonable  spring  weather. 
The  sun  happened  to  be  shining  brightly 
and  warmly  on  the  day  of  the  interview. 
She  spoke  of  this,  of  the  beautiful  view 
from  her  window,  of  the  little  boat-house, 
the  tiny  artificial  lake,  and  other  evidences 
of  affection  which  she  owes  to  her  followers. 

She  spoke  simply  of  her  own  life  and 
23 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDY 

work  and  of  her  absolute  happiness  in  her 
peaceful  surroundings.  She  smiled  pleas- 
antly at  the  women  who  share  her  home, 
and  who  occasionally  came  to  look  through 
the  door. 

When  she  was  asked  to  discuss  the  law- 
suit affecting  her,  and  other  matters  now  in 
the  public  mind,  she  became  very  earnest, 
absolutely  concentrated  in  expression, 
voice,  and  choice  of  words.  She  spoke 
sometimes  leaning  back  in  her  chair,  with 
her  eyes  turned  upward,  sometimes  leaning 
forward,  replying  to  questions  with  great 
intensity.  She  said  to  one  of  her  friends, 
"  Please  close  the  door,"  and  then  talked 
fully  on  all  the  business  matters  that  affect 
her.  In  addition  to  the  writer  of  this 
article,  there  was  present  General  Streeter, 
Mrs.  Eddy's  principal  attorney  in  her  legal 

matters. 

24 


MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 

Asked  why  the  lawsuit  had  been  started, 
seeking  to  take  away  from  her  control  of 
her  money  and  of  her  actions,  Mrs.  Eddy 
replied  in  a  deep,  earnest  voice  that  could 
easily  have  been  heard  all  over  the  biggest 
of  her  churches : 

"  Greed  of  gold,  young  man.  They  are 
not  interested  in  me,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  but 
in  my  money,  and  in  the  desire  to  control 
that.  They  say  they  want  to  help  me. 
They  never  tried  to  help  me  when  I  was 
working  hard  years  ago  and  when  help 
would  have  been  so  welcome." 

General  Streeter,  as  counsel  for  Mrs. 
Eddy,  wished  the  writer  to  ascertain,  for 
himself  positively,  that  Mrs.  Eddy  is 
thoroughly  competent  to  understand  busi- 
ness matters  and  to  manage  them.  There- 
fore, detailed  questions  were  asked  with  an 

insistence  that  in  the  case  of  a  woman  of 
25 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDY 

Mrs,  Eddy's  age  would  be  most  unusual 
and  unnecessary. 

Mrs.  Eddy's  mind  on  all  points  brought 
out  was  perfectly  clear,  and  her  answers 
were  instantaneous.  She  explained  in  de- 
tail how  impossible  it  was  for  those  about 
her,  even  if  they  wished  to,  to  control  her  or 
her  fortune,  and  her  statements  confirmed 
those  which  General  Streeter  had  previously 
made  to  the  writer. 

She  gave  clearly  and  earnestly  her  reasons 
for  executing  a  recent  deed  of  trust  by 
which  she  has  voluntarily  given  over  to 
three  of  her  most  trusted  friends  the  man- 
agement, so  far  as  is  possible,  of  her  ma- 
terial affairs.  She  explained  the  character 
of  each  of  these  men,  Henry  M.  Baker,  her 
cousin  and  a  lawyer,  Archibald  McLellan, 
the    editor    of    the    "  Christian     Science 

Journal  "   and   one   of  her   most   trusted 
26 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 

assistants,  and  Josiah  E.  Fernald,  of  the 
National  State  Capital  Bank  in  Concord. 

In  praising  her  cousin,  a  former  congress- 
man and  at  present  a  member  of  the  legis- 
lature, Mrs.  Eddy  laughingly  described 
him  as  a  very  good  man  "  and  as  honest  as 
any  lawyer  can  be."  She  laughed  more 
like  a  young  girl  than  a  woman  of  eighty- 
six  as  she  said  this,  looking  quizzically  at 
her  thoroughly  trusted  lawyer,  General 
Streeter. 

Mrs.  Eddy  said :  "  I  have  entrusted  to 
these  three  men,  so  far  as  I  possibly  and 
properly  can,  the  management  of  my  ma- 
terial interests.  My  constant  effort  has 
been  to  give  more  and  more  of  my  time  and 
thought  to  that  which  I  consider  really  im- 
portant. And  I  have  given  to  these  three 
men  to  do  for  me  the  worldly  work  which  is 

of  least  importance  in  my  eyes." 
27 


MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 

Mrs.  Eddy  started  to  speak  of  her  son, 
who  is  made  a  factor  in  the  legal  action 
against  her.  She  told  how  she  had  once 
asked  him  to  live  with  her,  saying:  "  I 
offered  him  all  that  I  had  except  one  five- 
thousand-dollar  bond  which  I  meant  to 
reserve  for  myself.  That  was  long  ago,  and 
he  would  not  come  to  me  then."  She 
spoke  of  her  son's  entering  the  army,  and 
the  effect  that  the  army  life  had  had  upon 
his  character  —  he  was  only  sixteen  years 
old  when  he  enlisted.  There  was  motherly 
pride  of  the  ordinary,  human  kind  in  her 
reference  to  the  number  of  battles  in  which 
he  had  been  honorably  engaged.  But  she 
was  obviously  much  affected  by  the  fact 
that  he  had  joined  the  legal  action  against 
her.  Her  eyes  filled  with  tears,  her  voice 
became  indistinct,  and  she  could  not  go  on. 
After  a  while  she  turned  to  General  Streeter 

28 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDY 

and  said,  trying  to  smile,  "  You  know  what 
they  say,  General,  *  A  mother  is  a  mother 
all  her  life ;  a  father  is  a  father  till  he  gets 
a  new  wife.'  " 

Mrs.  Eddy's  discussion  of  her  business 
matters  lasted  for  at  least  half  an  hour. 
There  was  no  sign  of  weakness  of  mind, 
voice,  or  body.  The  quality  of  Mrs.  Eddy's 
voice  is  really  extraordinary.  The  writer 
picked  up  a  periodical,  the  "  Christian 
Science  Journal "  for  June,  1907,  just 
issued,  and  asked  Mrs.  Eddy  to  read  from 
it,  having  heard  of  the  quality  of  her  voice 
which  had  done  so  much  in  influencing  her 
following  long  ago.  It  was  the  writer  who 
selected  at  random  the  following  extract 
from  page  169,  read  aloud  by  Mrs.  Eddy: 

"  The  skeptical   and    unbelieving    may 
shake  their  heads  and  ask  with  Nicodemus, 
29 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDY 

*  How  can  these  things  be  ? '  But  the 
sick  who  have  been  healed,  the  sorrowing 
who  have  been  comforted,  and  the  sinning 
who  have  been  saved,  can  look  up  and 
answer  in  the  words  of  Paul,  *  I  know 
whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded 
that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have 
committed  unto  him  against  that  day/  As 
of  old,  it  may  be  said  that  '  the  preaching 
of  the  cross  is  to  them  that  perish  foolish- 
ness; but  unto  us  which  are  saved  it  is  the 
power  of  God.*  When  we  remember  that 
the  teaching  for  so  many  centuries  has  been 
that  the  real  individuality  of  man  is  ma- 
terial, and  that  he  is  dependent  on  matter 
for  the  gratification  of  his  senses  and  even 
for  the  very  sustenance  of  his  life,  we  can- 
not wonder  that  so  many  hesitate  to  accept 
the  teachings  of  Christian  Science,  since 
this  Science  demands  the  abandonment  of 
30 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 

all  belief  in  materiality.  It  is,  nevertheless, 
true  that  only  as  we  lose  our  belief  of  life 
in  matter,  and  our  dependence  on  matter  as 
a  source  of  sustenance  and  satisfaction,  are 
we  enabled  through  Christian  Science  to 
grasp  the  true  sense  of  Life,  verifying 
again  the  words  of  Truth  as  spoken  by 
Jesus,  '  He  that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake 
shall  find  it/  '' 

If  any  Christian  Scientists  have  worried 
about  Mrs.  Eddy's  health  and  strength, 
that  reading  would  have  ended  the  worry, 
could  they  have  heard  it.  Among  young 
public  speakers  there  are  few  with  voices 
stronger,  deeper  than  the  voice  of  Mrs. 
Eddy  at  eighty-six  years  of  age.  She  read 
the  ordinary  magazine  type  without  glasses, 
as  readily  as  any  woman  of  twenty-five 


31 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDY 

could  do,  and  with  great  power  of  expres- 
sion and  understanding. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  the  writer 
had  three  separate  talks  w4th  Mrs.  Eddy. 
Once,  after  the  first  talk  ended  and  again  a 
second  time  Mrs.  Eddy  said  that  she  had 
some  other  things  to  say. 

Aside  from  the  legal  matters  in  which 

"  next  friends  "  seek  to  disturb  her  old  age 

and  her  peace,  Mrs.  Eddy  talked  chiefly  of 

Christian  Science  matters.     She  was  much 

interested  in  the  statement  made  publicly 

by     a     granddaughter    of    Henry    Ward 

Beecher,  who  is  now  a  Christian  Science 

practitioner,  that  her  grandfather  if  alive 

would  be  a  Christian  Scientist.    The  name 

of  Beecher  means  of  course  a  great  deal  to 

Mrs.  Eddy,  who  was  a  young  woman  at  the 

height  of  the  great  preacher's  fame.     She 

spoke  of  the  work  that  he  did  to  free  the 
32 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDY 

slaves  and  said,  as  though  thinking  aloud, 
"  Yes,  he  would  indeed  work  to  free  the 
spirit  as  he  worked  to  free  the  body  of  the 
slave." 

Mrs.  Eddy  gave  the  writer  permission  to 
publish  a  photograph  of  herself  which  has 
not  before  been  seen.  Upon  this  photo- 
graph, in  the  writer's  presence,  she  wrote 
her  own  name  as  reproduced  with  this 
article.  And  she  wrote  also  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  writer  a  short  note,  which  is 
facsimiled  here.  This  she  did  at  the  writer's 
request,  by  way  of  furnishing  visible  proof 
of  her  good  physical  condition.  There  are 
certainly  few  women  of  eighty-six  that  look, 
talk,  think,  or  write  with  greater  force  and 
power  than  does  Mrs.  Eddy  to-day. 

As  she  said  good-by  to  the  writer,  rising 
from  her  chair  to  hold  his  hand  in  both  of 
hers,  and  to  talk  with  pathetic  simplicity 
33 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDY 

and  conviction  of  the  good  that  the  visit 
was  to  do  him,  she  presented  a  very  beauti- 
ful picture  of  venerable  womanhood.  Her 
face,  so  remarkably  young,  framed  in  the 
beautiful  snow-white  hair  and  supported  by 
the  delicate,  frail,  yet  erect,  body,  seemed 
really  the  personification  of  that  victory  of 
spirit  over  matter  to  which  her  religion 
aspires. 

Forty  years  ago,  when  Mrs.  Eddy  lived 
in  a  garret-like  room  and  told  what  she  be- 
lieved to  be  the  truth  to  a  world  that  would 
not  yet  listen,  stones  were  thrown  through 
her  windows.  She  spoke  of  this  with  sad 
patience  and  forgiveness. 

To-day,  when  all  the  world  knows  her 

name,  and  when  many  thousands  bless  that 

name,  Mrs.  Eddy  finds  herself  still  with 

enemies  eager  and  energetic  against  her. 

They   do   not  throw   stones   through    her 
34 


, HOME-OFMRS. EDDY      AT- LYNN  MASS 
WHERE 

SCIBNCE  AND  HEALTH 

WITH  KB  Y  TO  THE 

SCRIPTURES  » 

WASWRITTEN 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDY 

windows  —  that  was  at  the  beginning  of 
her  teaching.  With  legal  arts  and  ingenious 
action  they  try  to  control  her  and  the  success 
that  she  has  built  up  in  spite  of  the  early 
opposition. 

The  lawyers  who  oppose  her  would  like  to 
show  that  Mrs.  Eddy  is  not  fit,  mentally 
or  physically,  to  take  care  of  herself  or  of 
her  fortune,  which  is  considerable.  They 
would  Hke  to  remove  her  from  her  present 
surroundings,  and  make  her  physically 
subject  to  the  will  of  others  appointed  to 
control  her.  Success  in  this  effort,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  writer,  would  be  shameful,  a 
degradation  to  all  womanhood  and  old  age. 

Mrs.  Eddy  said  in  her  interview,  "  Young 

man,  I  made  my  money  with  my  pen,  just 

as  you  do,  and  I  have  a  right  to  it."    Mrs. 

Eddy  not  only  has  a  right  to  it,  but  she  has 

the  mind  to  control  it. 
37 


0 


MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 

Those  that  attack  Mrs.  Eddy  legally,  and 
perhaps  sincerely,  propose  to  show  that  she 
is  "  the  victim  of  hallucinations."  They 
will  not  show  this  unless  American  law 
shall  decide  that  fixed  religious  belief  is  a 
hallucination. 

The  Turkish  minister  at  Washington,  if 
any  court  asked  him,  would  say  he  firmly 
believes  that  Mohammed  rode  up  to  see  God 
on  a  galloway  named  Al  Borak,  that  the 
intelligent  Al  Borak  bucked  and  pranced 
until  Mohammed  promised  him  a  seat  in 
paradise,  that  Mohammed  studied  an  in- 
teresting angel  with  seventy  thousand 
heads,  "  in  each  head  seventy  thousand 
tongues,  and  each  tongue  uttered  seventy 
thousand  distinct  voices  at  once."  The 
same  Turkish  gentleman,  or  any  other  Mo- 
hammedan, would  swear  to  his  belief  that 
Mohammed  "  arriving  within  two  bow- 
38 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 

shots  of  the  throne  of  God,  perceived  His 
face  covered  with  seventy  thousand  veils," 
and  also  that  "  the  hand  of  the  Almighty 
was  so  cold  that,  when  laid  upon  his  back, 
it  penetrated  to  the  very  marrow." 

The  Turkish  minister  might  testify  to 
these  things  without  being  adjudged  in- 
sane. He  has  a  right' to  believe  in  his  re- 
ligion. The  ordinary  American,  not  a 
Christian  Scientist,  believes  that  God  has  so 
arranged  matters  that  great  numbers  of  his 
children  will  be  burned  for  ever  and  ever  in 
hell  fire.  Mrs.  Eddy  beUeves  God  has  so 
arranged  matters  that  humanity  can  cure 
itself  of  imagined  evils,  and  escape  from 
all  suffering,  pain,  and  "  error  "  through 
Christian  Science  teachings. 

If  the  law  would  refuse  to  take  away  the 
Hberty  or  the  property  of  Christian  old 
ladies  because  they  believe  that  millions 
39 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 

of  human  beings  have  been  damned  from 
all  eternity,  it  is  hard  to  understand  why 
that  law  should  take  away  the  liberty  or  the 
money  of  Mrs.  Eddy  because  she  chooses  to 
believe  that  eventually  nobody  will  be 
damned  at  all. 

In  substance,  Mrs.  Eddy's  doctrines 
merely  take  literally  this  verse  from  the 
fourteenth  chapter  of  John : 

"Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that 
believeth  on  me,  the  works  that  I  do  shall 
he  do  also;  and  greater  works  than  these 
shall  he  do;  because  I  go  unto  my  Father." 
—  John  xiv.  12. 

It  is  difficult  to  see  why  taking  literally  a 
statement  which  this  nation  as  a  whole  en- 
dorses should  be  construed  into  a  hallucina- 
tion. 

40 


MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 

Mrs.  Eddy's  mind  is  clear,  her  health 
is  good  for  an  old  lady  of  eighty-six,  her  will 
is  strong.  She  is  protected  by  a  very  able 
and  absolutely  honorable  man  in  the  person 
of  her  trusted  lawyer,  General  Streeter. 
She  is  cared  for  in  her  home  by  women  in- 
tensely devoted  to  her.  She  is  able  to 
manage  her  affairs  as  much  as  she  may 
choose  to  do,  and  if  she  were  not,  no  greater 
crime  could  be  committed  against  her  than 
to  take  her  from  the  surroundings  that  she 
loves  and  the  friends  that  make  her  happy. 
Very  few  women  of  seventy  have  the  busi- 
ness intelligence,  power  of  will,  and  clear- 
ness of  thought  possessed  by  Mrs.  Eddy  at 
eighty- six. 

The  day  after  the  interview,  Mrs.  Eddy 

sent  to  the  writer  with  a  friendly  note  her 

recent   writings.      These    "  Miscellaneous 

Writings  "  have  been  studied  with  interest 
41 


MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 

by  this  writer,  who  is  not  a  believer  in 
Christian  Science,  but  a  believer  in  ma- 
terial science,  in  non-sectarian  government, 
and  in  the  absolute  right  of  Christian 
Scientists  to  believe  whatever  they  choose. 
The  preface  of  these  miscellaneous  writ- 
ings, which  indicate  much  thought,  begins 
with  this  interesting  quotation  from  one  of 
the  old  Talmudic  writers: 

**  The  noblest  charity  is  to  prevent  a  man 
from  accepting  charity;  and  the  best  alms 
are  to  show  and  to  enable  a  man  to  dispense 
with  alms." 

Mrs.  Eddy  says  "  this  apothegm  suits 
my  sense  of  doing  good." 

Mrs.  Eddy  answers  the  question,  "  What 
do  you  think  of  marriage  ?  "  as  follows : 

"  That  it  is  often  convenient,  sometimes 

42 


INTERIOR-  OF 

FIRST 

CHURCHOFCHRIST 

SCIENTIST 

BOSTON 


OF  THE 

*V£RSITY 

OF 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDY 

pleasant,  and  occasionally  a  love  affair. 
Marriage  is  susceptible  of  many  definitions. 
It  sometimes  presents  the  most  wretched 
condition  of  human  existence.  To  be 
normal,  it  must  be  a  union  of  the  affections 
that  tends  to  lift  mortals  higher." 

In  sending  the  book  Mrs.  Eddy  marked 
for  the  writer  some  verses  by  her  on  page 
389.  They  are  reprinted  here,  because  a 
great  number  of  men  and  women  that  love 
Mrs.  Eddy  and  follow  her  teachings  will 
like  to  see  the  words  that  evidently  express 
Mrs.  Eddy's  feelings  of  consolation  at  this 
moment  when,  in  her  old  age  and  after  a 
life  that  has  given  great  happiness  and  com- 
fort to  many,  she  finds  herself  the  object  of 
an  attack  from  which  her  years  alone 
should  suffice  to  protect  her. 


45 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 
THE     mother's     evening     PRAYER 

Oh  I    gentle  presence,  peace  and  joy  and  power  — 
Oh !    life  divine,  that  owns  each  waiting  hour, 

Thou  Love  that  guards  the  nestling's  faltering  flight 
Keep  Thou  my  child  on  upward  wing  to-night. 

Love  is  our  refuge;  only  with  mine  eye 
Can  I  behold  the  snare,  the  pit,  the  fall: 

His  habitation  high  is  here,  and  nigh, 
His  arm  encircles  me,  and  mine,  and  all. 

Oh !  make  me  glad  for  every  scalding  tear. 
For  hope  deferred,  ingratitude,  disdain  I 

Wait,  and  love  more  for  every  hatej  and  fear 
No  ill  —  since  God  is  good,  and  loss  is  gain. 

Beneath  the  shadow  of  His  mighty  wing; 

In  that  sweet  secret  of  the  narrow  way, 
Seeking  and  finding,  with  the  angels  sing: 

"  Lo  i    I  am  with  you  alway  "  —  watch  and  pray. 

No  snare,  no  fowler,  pestilence  or  pain; 

No  night  drops  down  upon  the  troubled  breast. 
When  heaven's  aftersmile  earth's  tear-drops  gain, 

And  mother  finds  her  home  and  far-off  rest. 


46 


Mrs.  Eddy's  Home  at  Newton 


MRS.    EDDY  S    HOME    AT   NEWTON 

When  the  foregoing  account  of  his  visit 
was  written  by  Mr.  Brisbane,  Mrs.  Eddy's 
home  was  at  Concord,  N.  H.  Since  then 
it  has  been  transferred  to  Newton,  Mass., 
in  the  suburbs  of  Boston.  Mr.  Alfred  Far- 
low,  in  his  notice  to  the  press,  stated  the 
fact  that  it  was  not  a  sudden  decision  on  her 
part,  but  that  she  had  been  contemplating 
a  return  to  Boston  for  some  time.  Her 
purpose  in  moving  was  to  be  more  con- 
venient to  the  Mother  Church  and  nearer 
to  its  headquarters. 

It  was  on  Sunday,  Jan.  23,  1908,  that 
the  thousand  of  Arguses  who  had  fastened 
49 


MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 

their  myriad  eyes  on  Pleasant  View  for 
months  discovered  that  Mrs.  Eddy  had 
performed  something  very  much  in  the 
nature  of  a  miracle.  So  successfully  was  the 
secret  kept  that  there  has  probably  never 
been  a  more  surprising  bit  of  news  than 
that  published  by  the  newspapers  on  Mon- 
day, January  24,  1908,  that  Mrs.  Eddy, 
with  her  entire  household,  had  transferred 
her  home  from  Concord,  N.  H.,  to  the 
suburbs  of  Boston;  had  done  so  between 
sunrise  and  sunset  of  one  day.  It  was  not 
until  she  was  safely  installed  in  her  new 
home  that  the  public  were  apprised  of  it. 
The  wisdom  of  the  entire  proceeding  is 
apparent  to  all  who  know  the  esteem  in 
which  Mrs.  Eddy  is  held  and  who  can 
readily  understand  what  a  mass  of  people 
would  have  blocked  the  way  to  catch  a 


50 


MRS.  EDDY'S 
PRESENT  HOME 

NBWTON-MASS 


MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 

glimpse  of  her  had   they  been  aware  of 

what  was  to  happen^ 

In  October,  1907,  Mr.  Robert  P.  Walker 

of  Chicago  had  purchased   a  magnificent 

piece  of  property  at  384   Beacon   Street, 

Newton.       Artisans     were     engaged     and 

worked  day  and  night  for  weeks  making 

extensive  changes.     At  first  the  residents 

supposed  that  Mr.  Walker  was  fitting  up 

the  house  for  his  own  home.     Then  it  was 

reported  that  it  was  to  be  used  as  a  college 

for   students   of  Christian   Science.     This 

property,    which   was    purchased    by   Mr. 

Walker     for     the     new     home     of    Mrs. 

Eddy,   is   situated   in   what   is    known    as 

Chestnut  Hill,  and  is  about  twenty  minutes' 

ride    by    electric    cars    from    the    Mother 

Church.    It  may  be  reached  by  the  Boston 

and   Albany   steam   trains   by   purchasing 

tickets  to  the  Chestnut  Hill  Station;    by 
53 


MARY   BAKER  G.    EDDY 

taking  the  Chestnut  Hill,  the  Worcester, 
the  Framingham  or  the  Auburndale  elec- 
tric cars.  When  going  by  electric  cars  the 
passenger  should  alight  at  Hammond 
Street.  A  walk  of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes 
from  either  Boylston  Street  or  Common- 
wealth Ave.  will  bring  one  to  Beacon 
Street.  The  residence  is  near  the  corner 
of  Beacon  and  Hammond  Streets. 

The  house  is  a  three-story,  dark-colored 
stone  structure  surrounded  by  a  large  tract 
of  ground  and  sheltered  by  magnificent 
trees.  It  stands  back  from  Beacon  Street 
about  three  hundred  feet  and  a  deep  semi- 
circular driveway  leads  from  one  iron  gate- 
way to  the  portico  and  ends  at  another  gate 
after  passing  by  the  stable.  The  rear  of  the 
house  sets  up  high  above  Old  Orchard 
Road  and  Mrs.  Eddy's  apartments  and  the 


54 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDY 

balcony  connected  with  them  command  a 
fine  outlook  from  this  point. 

There  are  twenty-eight  rooms  in  all,  of 
which  four  are  on  the  lower  floor  and  ten 
each  on  the  second  and  third  floors. 

On  the  first  floor  are  two  parlors,  a 
library  and  a  dining-room.  These  are  on 
either  side  of  the  front  hall. 

Hung  on  the  first  floor  are  a  number  of 
large  and  valuable  paintings,  some  of  which 
were  brought  from  Pleasant  View.  Lead- 
ing from  the  hallway  is  a  wide  staircase  of 
steel  and  built  into  the  walls  at  the  two 
landings  are  large  steel  vaults. 

The  reception  rooms,  library  and  din- 
ing-room are  all  very  large  and  they  are 
handsomely  furnished,  the  general  color 
scheme  being  gold  and  rose. 

Mrs.  Eddy's  private  apartments  are  at 

the  southeastern  corner  of  the  house  and 
55 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 


are  elegantly  though  modestly  decorated 
and  furnished,  the  general  effect  being  one 
of  rich  comfort  rather  than  of  magnificence. 

It  would  seem  that  the  designer  and 
decorator,  knowing  Mrs.  Eddy's  love  of 
peace  and  quiet,  had  chosen  the  furnish- 
ings with  this  idea  in  mind,  and  the  result 
js  delightful  and  restful  such  as  must  be 
pleasing  to  her. 

The  first  room  of  Mrs,  Eddy's  private 
suite  is  a  very  large  apartment.  The  furni- 
ture including  the  large  flat  desk  at  which 
she  does  her  writing  is  of  light  colored 
mahogany.  The  color  scheme  harmonizes 
with  the  furniture  even  to  the  cord  of  the 
window  curtains.  There  are  two  electric 
push  buttons,  one  at  the  desk  and  one  con- 
venient to  the  hand  of  the  person  lying  on 
the  couch  so  that  Mrs.  Eddy  may  instantly 


66 


MARY   BAKER   G.    EDDT 

summon  one  of  her  secretaries  or  attend- 
ants. 

Next  to  this  room  is  Mrs.  Eddy's  sleeping 
apartment  which  is  furnished  in  old- 
fashioned  mahogany. 

The  third  room  may  be  used  as  a  cham- 
ber or  for  work  if  desired. 

Outside  of  Mrs.  Eddy's  suite  is  a  wide 
iron  balcony.  There  is  no  roof  to  this  but 
it  is  provided  with  a  wooden  frame  work 
over  which  a  canvas  can  be  stretched  to 
protect  it  from  the  sun.  It  is  provided  with 
electric  signal  bells  so  that  at  any  time,  any 
member  of  the  household  may  be  sum- 
moned. From  a  cabinet  close  to  Mrs. 
Eddy's  room  the  heat  in  any  part  of  the 
house  may  be  regulated  or  the  electric 
lights  turned  on  in  any  or  all  parts  of  the 
building.    On  the  third  floor  are  the  sleep- 


67 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 

ing  rooms  of  the  other  members  of  the 
household. 

The  house  is  provided  with  all  the  con- 
veniences and  comforts  that  modern  house 
furnishing  suggests,  among  them  a  noise- 
less electric  elevator  which  runs  from  the 
first  to  the  third  floor. 

For  nineteen  years  Mrs.  Eddy  had  re- 
sided at  Concord,  near  her  birthplace 
among  associations  made  dear  to  her  by 
childhood.  When  she  left  Boston  to  take  up 
her  abode  there  the  religious  movement  of 
which  she  was  the  founder  was  repre- 
sented by  45  churches  with  a  membership 
of  450.  At  the  time  of  her  return,  the 
number  of  churches  had  grown  to  1059, 
the  membership  of  the  Mother  Church  had 
increased  over  one  hundred  fold  and  the 
number  of  adherents  was  estimated  to  be 
one  million. 

68 


The  Christian  Science  Publishing  House, 
completed  in  August,  1908,  is  situated 
across  the  way  from  the  Mother  Church 
and  is  built  of  Bedford  stone,  the  same  ma- 
terial as  that  used  in  the  construction  of 
the  church.  It  has  a  length  of  sixty-seven 
feet  on  Falmouth  Street  and  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eight  feet  on  St.  Paul 
Street.  It  is  set  back  twenty  feet  from  the 
line   of  the  side-walk,  leaving  a  space  for 

a  decorative  grass-plot. 
59 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 

On  the  first  floor  are  the  general  busi- 
ness ofllice  for  Mrs.  Eddy's  books  and 
two  other  rooms  which  are  occupied  by 
her  pubhsher.  There  are  also  rooms  for 
stenographers,  bookkeepers,  etc. 

On  the  second  floor  the  Trustees  of 
The  Christian  Science  Publishing  Society 
have  two  rooms  and  the  committee  on 
preparing  Bible  Lessons  occupy  commo- 
dious quarters  adjoining. 

The  third  floor  is  devoted  to  the  edi- 
torial oflBces  of  The  Christian  Science 
Sentinel,  The  Christian  Science  Journal 
and  the  composing  and  proof-reading 
rooms.  There  are  also  on  this  floor  five 
large  rooms  for  the  use  of  the  associate 
editors  and  a  reception  room  for  stenog- 
raphers.  The  packing  and  shipping  rooms 

are  in  the  basement. 
60 


MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 

CHRISTIAN   SCIENCE    DATA 
1866     Christian  Science  proclaimed   by  Mrs.  Mary 
Baker  Glover 

1875  Science  and  Health  with  Key  to  the  Scriptures 

published  by  Mrs.  Mary  Baker  G.  Eddy 

1876  First  Christian  Science  association  formed. 
1879     First  Church  of  Christ  Scientist  formed  with  17 

members. 

1 88 1  Mrs.  Eddy  ordained  as  pastor  of  First  Church 
of  Christ  Scientist. 

1883     Christian  Science  Journal  established. 

1886     National  Christian  Science  association  formed. 

1886  First  Church  edifice  of  the  Christian  Scientists 
erected  at  Oconto,  Wis. 

1892  Sept.  23,  First  Church  of  Christ  Scientist,  Bos- 
ton, organized. 

1894  First  Christian  Science  Church  erected  in  Bos- 

ton at  cost  of  ;^25o,ooo 

1895  The  Bible  and  Science  and  Health  ordained  as 

pastors  of  the  Churches  and  other  preach- 
ing abolished. 

1895  By-laws  of  the  Church  published  under  title  of 
"  Church  Manual  of  The  First  Church  of 
Christ,  Scientist,  Boston." 

1898     Official  board  of  lectureship  established. 

1898  September  i,  Christian  Science  Weekly  first 

issued. 

1899  January  26,  Name  of  Christian  Science  Weekly 

changed  to  Christian  Science  Sentinel. 
1903     Der  Christian  Science  Herold  in  German  first 
published. 

61 


MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 

STATISTICS  OF  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE,  1908 


Chartered 

Organized 

Total 

Reading 

Authorized 

Churches 

Societies 

Churches 

Rooms 

Practition- 

Alabama 

3 

I 

4 

3 

ers 

9 

Alaska 

0 

0 

0 

0 

2 

Arizona 

3 

0 

3 

3 

6 

Arkansas 

3 

I 

4 

5 

13  - 

California 

39 

17 

56 

38 

318 

Colorado 

18 

7 

25 

18 

130 

Connecticut 

II 

4 

15 

13 

43 

Delaware 

I 

0 

I 

I 

3 

Distr.  of  Col 

1.      I 

0 

I 

I 

24 

Elorida 

4 

5 

9 

6 

18 

Georgia 

8 

I 

9 

6 

19 

Hawaii 

I 

I 

2 

I 

0 

Idaho 

4 

5 

9 

4 

II 

Illinois 

57 

22 

79 

57 

443 

Indiana 

30 

7 

37 

25 

114 

Indian  Ter. 

I 

I 

2 

I 

4 

Iowa 

35 

21 

56 

28 

106 

Kansas 

33 

II 

44 

22 

113 

Kentucky 

4 

I 

5 

3 

14 

Louisiana 

I 

4 

5 

4 

10 

Maine 

14 

6 

20 

15 

35 

Maryland 

2 

0 

2 

2 

23 

Mass. 

36 

II 

47 

37 

398 

Michigan 

34 

20 

54 

34 

122 

Minnesota 

23 

5 

28 

16 

98 

Mississippi 

2 

4 

6 

4 

4 

Missouri 

18 

I 

19 

17 

166 

Montana 

6 

5 
62 

II 

8 

15 

MARY    BAKER   G.    EDDY 


Nebraska 

17 

6 

23 

12 

68 

Nevada 

I 

2 

3 

2 

6 

New  Hamp. 

7 

8 

15 

II 

29 

New  Jersey 

II 

7 

18 

20 

n 

New  Mexico 

0 

I 

I 

I 

2 

New  York 

51 

25 

76 

sz 

325 

N.  Carolina 

4 

3 

7 

6 

12 

N.  Dakota 

3 

I 

4 

2 

6 

Ohio 

36 

15 

51 

35 

168 

Oklahoma 

10 

5 

15 

10 

27 

Oregon 

9 

7 

16 

10 

36 

Penn. 

27 

10 

n 

26 

116 

Rhode  Island 

3 

I 

4 

2 

15 

South  Carolina    i 

0 

I 

I 

3 

South  Dakota 

8 

8 

16 

8 

19 

Tennessee 

5 

0 

5 

3 

14 

Texas 

16 

2 

18 

15 

59 

Utah 

4 

I 

5 

3 

35 

Vermont 

6 

3 

9 

5 

15 

Virginia 

2 

2 

4 

2 

10 

Washington 

13 

5 

18 

12 

72 

West  Virginia 

3 

0 

3 

3 

9 

Wisconsin 

27 

II 

38 

25 

114 

Wyoming 

I 

I 

2 

I 

3 

CANADA   AND 

OTHER   COUNTRIES 

British  Col. 

I 

I 

2 

2 

5 

Manitoba 

3 

I 

4 

2 

II 

New  Brun'ck 

I 

0 

I 

I 

2 

Nova  Scotia 

I 

0 

I 

0 

2 

Ontario 

14 

5 
63 

19 

10 

39 

MARY    BAKER    G.    EDDY 


Prince  Ed.  Is 

.     I 

o 

I 

I 

2 

Quebec 
Mexico 

2 
I 

I 
I 

3 

2 

2 
I 

6 

4 

England 
Ireland 

9 

2 

15 

0 

24 

2 

22 
2 

6 

Scotland 

2 

I 

3 

2 

9 

Bahama  Is. 

O 

I 

I 

0 

I 

Denmark 

O 

0 

0 

0 

I 

France 

I 

0 

I 

I 

9 

Germany 
Holland 

2 

I 

2 
0 

4 

I 

4 

I 

23 
4 

Italy 

Norway 

Sweden 

O 
O 
O 

0 
0 

0 

I 
0 

0 
0 
0 

I 
I 

I 

Switzerland 

O 

2 

2 

0 

8 

India 

O 

0 

0 

0 

I 

China 

O 

I 

I 

I 

I 

Australia 

4 

0 

4 

4 

21 

Total 

742 

3^7 

1,059 

698 

3»793 

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JUN251991 


by 


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J  I)  2l-'iU(»t-(5,'y- 


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